Real Madrid have dominated Europe for the better part of the last decade, and a lot of their success had to do with the old guard who were all-time greats in the game.
The planning to pioneer a new project, needless to say, was based on replacing those very pivotal presences on the field, be it Marcelo and Sergio Ramos in defence, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield or Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack.
Given that the current team is far from the level that their predecessors were at, however, it makes it clear that there was a mismatch somewhere along the way, and it appears that it is sinking into the minds of the club administration as every day passes.
A sense of acceptance
As relayed by El Larguero in a recent update, Real Madrid have now accepted that they made errors while planning for their new project and that the squad’s difficulties now have something to do with the same.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, Real Madrid legends
Real Madrid have failed to replace Kroos and Modric. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
This is the first time that they have developed a sense of acceptance of such a fact, especially with how the ‘rebuilding plan’ approached replacing the midfield stalwarts Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Los Blancos signed Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga in recent years and envisioned them as their next world-class midfield unit, but things have not gone according to plan. And the club acknowledge that the players have not taken the step expected of them.
Many of Real Madrid’s problems this season fundamentally stem from the lack of control in midfield, for the team struggle to dictate the tempo of the game, create chances and work cohesively off the ball.
The summer, thus, could well see a massive overhaul for Real Madrid with many arrivals and departures restructuring the squad.